Indian IT Cos Reducing Dependence On Visas: Nasscom

IT industry body Nasscom said the move of fast processing of H-1B visas by the US will enable Indian technology companies to smoothly move on with business even as they continue to emphasize on reducing their thrust on work visas, according to a PTI report on ET.

Nasscom president R Chandrasekhar the application for work visas by Indian IT companies have dwindled to half of the number as compared to the last few years as the companies are leveraging new technologies to minimize dependence on visas to send workers to client sites.

“This is certainly a welcome move. We were expecting this to come. Usually, when priority visa processing is suspended, it is done for 2 months or so. This time, it was more, which was different,” he told PTI.

The US has again taken up fast processing of H-1B visas in all categories subject to Congress-mandated limit. It is resumed after five months of temporary suspension to handle the huge rush of applications for the work visas popular among Indian IT professionals.

In case a petitioner requests the agency’s premium processing service, the US citizenship and immigration services (USCIS) guarantees a 15-day processing time.

If the processing is done within the time, the agency will refund the petitioner’s premium processing service fee and continue with the speedy processing of the application.

Chandrasekhar said the resumption was significant for “smooth conduct of business”. “Applications have halved because of issues around visa, including long delays, increased scrutiny, and also because of changing business models, there is increased local hiring,” he said.

He further said that the premium processing is important as for special skill sets, it becomes difficult to anticipate the requirements beforehand and file applications.

While many believe CIO's role is evolving and that he's occupying a key place in the boardroom, a recent study brings to light that more than half of the CIO, CTO or IT admin staff (55%) are not thanked by colleagues for carrying out essential IT tasks on their behalf.